, 1887-09-08

SO a thousand, and rough merchant
able lumber is quoted at So. with
other grades in proportion. The To-
cal demand for lumber is largely on
account of activity in building all
around the Sound Northwestern
Latmberman, Chicago.
The long pending trouble among
the stockholders of the Oregon Iron
& Steel Company has at last been
compromised and the works at Os-
wego will soon be started up. We
are told that the building begun sev-
eral years ago will be completed at
once and the new machinery set up.
The first work will be to make large
lot of pipe for the Portland water
works under the contract bid award
ed by the water committee.
The railroad disasters of 1887 have
exceeded anything in the history of
this continent. First, the awful dis
aster at Republic, on the Baltimore
Il Ohio railroad; then the White riV-
er, VT, catastrophe, followed by the
plunglng of passenger train through
bridge in the Boston suburbs; after
that, the collision at ST. Thomas.
Ont; and lastly the sickening horror
at Chatsworth, which exceeds in the
number of dead and wounded all the
other combined. The year 1887 will
be looked upon as black one in the
history of railway casualties.
Much interest mas been felt in re-
gard to the outcome of the attempt to
bore an artes1an well near RitzVille,
in Eastern Washington, for which
purpose the Legislature made an ap
preparation at It's last session. The
Walla Walla Journal says: ''The
first artesian we'll started was aban--
donsd at depth of 120 feet, the drill
having become fast. A new we'll was
begun and on Wednesday, at 9S feet
depth. the drill stuck, having reached
a stratum of rock pronounced by the
contractors the hardest they ever en-
countered. Work is temporarily sus
penned
Ex-Governor Hauser, of Montana,
has just returned from Nav York,
and to an inquiry as to how the
Northern Pacific election would come
out, replied: "Well, it is close. 1t
is certain that the Elijah Smith crowd
will work in from four to five out of
the thirteen directors. The Wiscon>
sin Central, the Union Pacific and
Oregon Transcontinental have been
working together and have made a
very strong fight. They will have a
large representation in the next di-
rectorate." He also said, "Oakes will
lose none of his strength in the con-
troll and operation of the Northern
Pacific whichever side may win; that's
sure The Smith crowd have issued
a card to that effect, and the other
side thinks too much of Mr.. Oakes to
part with him Will he be President
That can't say, but he will lose none
of his present power"
1t must be getting rather dry in
Illinois, according to the following,
from the Newman, ILL.,, Independent;
''The weather had been SO dry here
for the past three weeks that the
wells are empty and the fish in the
creek are carrying toad stools for par
asols to keep the sun from burning
their backs. Water is getting SO
scarce that Baptists and Campbell
ties are beginning to favor baptism
by sprinkling and they have quit
turning up their noses at the Presby-
terians- Potato bugs are crossing
the creek like the Israelites did the
Red Sea and for the purpose-in
search of water. A prominent pro-
hibitionist has ordered case of beer
from Decatur. not necessarily as an
evidence that he wants lather to shave
himself" The best remedy for the
drouth would bs to come to Puget
Sound, where it never gets 50 dry.